Help Friend of the Earth and Friend of the Sea to ask governments, companies and populations involved in animal trade to close down wildlife markets and stop illegal trade of endangered species. We will send your signatures to the according governments and to Dr Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus Director of the World Health Organization to ask them to close down wildlife markets and suggest them to become the world’s new wildlife conservation leaders. We will keep you updated here.

Due to the coronavirus crisis, the Chinese government has announced a nationwide ban prohibiting all wild animal trading activities with immediate effect. This includes not only wet markets but supermarkets restaurants and e-commerce platforms. However, there are many other countries with wild markets. This ban must be PERMANENT and in EVERY COUNTRY for our human health but also to protect the endangered Wildlife and Animal Welfare.

The problems:

“As of Friday 20.03.2020 more than 254'493 declared cases of the Wuhan Coranavirus have been confirmed in the world and more than 10'439 people have died. The virus is a worldwide threat.

Coronavirus is a zoonotic disease that can be transmitted from animals to humans. The outbreak comes from a wild animal and has been traced to a market in Wuhan known for selling wild animals for consumptions including dogs, turtles, bats, snakes, giant salamander, crocodiles, hedgehogs, and marmots.

The promiscuity of the animals and the conditions under which they are kept, easily explain how a virus can spread and it is why it is important to ban the wildlife market. Sars, Ebola, HIV, Coronavirus, all of them are coming from Wildlife. We need to let the animals where they belong and stop selling them and eating them. 

"If these markets persist, and human consumption of illegal and unregulated wildlife persists, then the public will continue to face heightened risks from emerging new viruses, potentially more lethal and the source of future pandemic spread," said the executive director of the group's health program Christian Walzer to The Independent. "These are perfect laboratories for creating opportunities for these viruses to emerge."

China and Vietnam are the world’s largest market for wildlife products. Consumption of several rare and endangered species, for example, pangolins, rhinos, elephants, parrots, and totoaba are considered among the biggest threats to their survival in the wild.

 “Wildlife market is $20 billion markets that are fourth in size after the illegal drug trade, human smuggling and trade of illegal weapons. Wildlife trafficking undermines human security in resource-dependent local communities, severely harms the way of life of indigenous people and causes substantial economic losses. Wildlife trafficking is a lucrative source of funds for terrorism as well, posing real risks to national security. The continued decline of rhinos, elephants, tigers, pangolins and other species illustrates that global efforts to combat wildlife trafficking are continuing to fail”. Said Saving life on Earth Report.

These unregulated markets must stop. Not only are they wiping out precious wildlife, but they are also the root of most modern epidemics and outbreaks. They literally threaten all life on the planet.

WILD ANIMALS BELONGS TO NATURE !!! 

Thank you for spreading and signing this petition!

Paolo Bray, Founder, and Director of Friend of the Sea and Friend of The Earth.

 

 

 

References:

Evidence To Action : Research to Address Illegal Wildlife Trade:

https://www.researchgate.net/publication/327431598_Evidence_to_Action_Research_to_Address_Illegal_Wildlife_Trade

Chinese Petition: https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/T81AxgAkHIvRwdslPQ574g

Le Temps: https://www.letemps.ch/monde/jour-lurgence-sanitaire-internationale-declaree-suivi-jeudi-30-janvier

CNN: https://edition.cnn.com/2020/01/27/world/coronavirus-china-bans-wildlife-trade-trnd/index.html

Saving Life on Earth Report: https://www.biologicaldiversity.org/publications/

Mongabay : https://news.mongabay.com/2020/01/conservationists-welcome-chinas-wildlife-trade-ban/

Wildlife Conservation Society: https://www.wcs.org/get-involved/updates/a-primer-on-the-coronavirus

The Independent: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/asia/coronavirus-china-wildlife-ban-wuhan-wild-animal-makets-latest-a9302071.html

The New York Post: https://www.marketwatch.com/story/inside-the-horrific-inhumane-animal-markets-behind-pandemics-like-coronavirus-2020-01-25

The New York Times: China’s Omnivorous Markets Are in the Eye of a Lethal Outbreak Once Again
The Washington Post: Coronavirus outbreak underscores potential health risks in China’s wild animal trade
The Washington Post: China temporarily bans wildlife trade in wake of outbreak
The Guardian: Calls for global ban on wild animal markets amid coronavirus outbreak